Traction mechanism



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

H. L. VAN ZILE.

TRACTION MECHANISM. No. 399,299. Patented Mar. 12, 1889.

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H. L. VAN ZILE.

TRACTION MECHANISM.

No. 399,299. Patented-Mar. 12, 1889.

-fi -R E: I I A IIHTIHHI l I I I JVENTU (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

9 H. L. VAN ZILE.

TRACTION MECHANISM.

No. 399,299. Patented Mar. 12, 1889.

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NITED STATES PATENT Orricn.

HARRY L. VAN ZlLlt. OF A LBAN Y. ASSIGXOR OF '.l\\'()-TlllRDS TO OSCARE. VAN ZILE, OF 'lRO'Y. AND JOHN MACFORMAFK, ()F AL 3ANY, XElV YORK.

TRACTION MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 399,299, dated March12, 1889.

Application filed October 30, 1888. Serial No. 289,543. (No model.)

Be it known that I, HARRY L. Van ZiLn, of the city of Albany, county ol.Albany, and State oi NcwYork, have invented a new and useful 'lraetionMechanism of which the 'i'ollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to a mechanism for the tractional propulsion oistreetcars. locomotives, and other vehicles that are designed to IO beused in connection with. a rail-track on which they are moved, it beingthe object and purpose of my invention to utilize a threerail. track inwhich two of the rails as usually placed are arranged to support theweight of the vehicle (and for propulsion when desired) and a centerrail which is employed in connection with traction-wheels or driversthat are made to engage with the sides of the center rail, my inventionherein described being an improvement upon that shown and described inan application for Letters Patent filed by me in the Patent OfficeFebruary 27, 1888, and known as Serial No. 265,452, to adapt it tomodified uses. 2 5 V Accompanying this specification to form a part ofit there are three plates of drawings containing five figuresillustrating my invention, with the same designation of parts byletter-reference used in all of them.

Of the illustrations Figure 1 shows a rear end elevation of alocomotive-truck with my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 shows a topview of the parts that are illustrated at- Fig. 1 with the bracket-frameomitted,which supports the oscillating steam-cylin ders operating myimproved traction or driving wheels. Fig. 3 shows a top view of thehanger-frame of a street-car truck with my invention applied thereto.Fig. 4 shows a rear end elevation of the parts shown at Fig. 3. Fig.5shows a top view of the rear end wheels and axle of a street-car withthat part of the truck-frame to which my improved traction or drivingwheels are pivoted. In all of these illustrations my improved tractionor driving wheels are shown as projected rearwardly on pivoted arms andas making a tangent engagement with the opposite sides of the centerrail.

The several parts of the mechanism thus illustrated and. thosecontaining my invention are designated by lettor-reference, and l thefunction ol the parts is described as follows:

The letters R R. designate the ordinary and usual side rails of arail-track, and R a center or middle rail.

The letters D designate drivers ortraelionwheels that are journaled ontothe outer ends of bars or brackets which are attached to the truck. andso that the perimeter of each of said driving or traction wheels willtangent with the opposite sides of the center rail, H.

The letters ll designate the lninger-l'ramo of a street-car truck, andT1 the hanger-frame of a locomotive-truck.

llhclet-tcrs \V designate the ordinary wheels of a street-car truck,which are arranged to support the weight of the ear upon the tops of therails R, to be operated for propulsion by power applied to the axles Ain any wellknown manner.

The let-tors designate the drivers of a locomotive, connected by thecompensating bar I) and operated for tractional propulsion on the topsor treads of the rails by means of a pitman, P, and steam-cylinder C.

, \Vhere my invention is shown as applied to a street-car at Figs. 3,at, and 5, the letters S designate stirrnps, that are made to embracethe sides of the hanger-frame cross-bar B and So to be bolted thereto.Each of these stirrups S has downwardly projected from its loop end andmade integrally therewith a pivot stud, 13

The letters J designate a bar that pivots at 8 5 p on each of thepivot-studs b at the outer end thereof, and the inner end of each ofthem is made with a piutIeshaft, S for each of the drivers D to turn.on.

The letter G at Figs. 3, 4, and 5 designates a gear-wheel made to turnwith the axles A and to mesh into a beveled gear-wheel, G

1 turning on the pivot-stud b and this beveled gear-wheel G2 meshes intoa gear-wheel, G arranged on and secured to each of the driv- 5 ers D tocommunicate motion from the axle A to the said drivers D. Theconnecting-bar L pivots or links into the pivot-stud b at one end and atits other end onto the shaft S of the drivers D.

When power is applied to the aXleAby an electric or other motor throughthe geared connection made between the said axle and the drivers, thelatter are actuated to turn in the same direction as the wheels and thedrivers by means of their pivoted connection with the truck, when poweris thus applied to them, are caused to press against the opposite sidesof the center rail, so as so make a frictional traction therewithsufficient for p rop ulsion.

As shown at Figs. 1 and 2, with my invention applied to alocomotivetruck, the drivers D are arranged to engage with the sides ofthe center rail, as in the other illustration, and the pintle-shafts Cof the drivers D are each arranged on the inner downwardly-projectedends of one of the bars J, which latter at their outer ends are pivotedat p to one of the brackets I, each of which is projected rearwardlyfrom the cross-bar of truck. hangerframe H In older devices whereintraction was employed for propulsion by means of wheels engaging withthe opposite sides of a rail such traction was produced through powerapplied to the shafts of thetraction-wheels by a mechanism operatingindependently of the mechanism which operated. the said wheels forpropulsion. By my improvement the mechanism which operates thetraction-wheels for prop ulsion produces the traction when actingon alevel, and when ascending a grade, in addition'to the power applied forpropulsion, the component force of gravity, operating in the line of thegrade descent, increases the traction by crowding the traction-wheelstoward the center rail, this result being caused by the action of the pivoted arms, on the outer or rear end of each of which one of thetraction-wheels is supported and operated.

At Figs. 1 and 2 the driversD are shown as being operated by acrank-connection made directly with the piston-rods P of the oscillatingstean1-cylinders 0, attached to the pendent support N, downwardlyprojected from the truclcfranie.

As my invention relates more particularly to the drivers orfriction-wheels D, arranged upon a pivotal connection made with thetruck-frame and rearwardly extended therefrom, (with reference to thedirection of propulsion,) so as to tangent with the opposite sides of acenter rail, I do not limit myinvention thereof to the particular methodof communicating power to said drivers, and any well-known means thatwill operate them to perform the same function in relatively the samemanner may be employed.

\Vhere the traction utilized to operate cars or locomotives upon arail-track is wholly produced by the frictional engagement caused by theweight of the vehicle upon the rails,

the moving and drawing capacity of the 10- comotive will depend upon theweight of the latter. By my improvement an additional traction capacityis developed without an increase of weight in the locomotive, whichbecomes useful in various ways. \Vhen in operating upon a level thefrictional traction of my drivers is wholly produced by the powerapplied to them, which forces them to engage with the sides of thecenter rail. When opera-ting them upon an ascending grade, then thecomponent force of gravity, actingin the direction of the grade descent,tends to crowd the supplemental drivers toward the opposite sides of thecenter rail.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby letters Patent, is v 1. The combination, with a locomotive orstreet-car truck having wheels to support the weight of the locomotiveor car upon a tworail track, of a center rail and traction-wheels ordrivers operated to make a tractional engagement with the opposite sidesof said center rail by the same mechanism that operates saidtraction-wl1eels or drivers for propulsion, substantially in the manneras and for the purposes set forth.

2. The combination, with a locomotive or street-car truck having wheelsfor supporting the weight of the locomotive upon. a two-rail track andoperated to engage with said tworail track for propulsion, of a centerrail and supplemental traction-wheels or drivers operated to make a'tractional engagement with the opposite sides of said center rail by themechanism operating them for propulsion, substantially in the manner asand for the purposes set forth.

3. The combination, with a locomotive or street-car truck having wheelsto support the weight of the locomotive or streetcar upon the rail of atwo-rail track, of a center rail, and traction-wheels or drivers ar'anged upon each side of said center rail that are operated to make atractional engagement with the opposite sides thereof by the poweroperating them for propulsion, with each of said traction-wheels ordrivers mounted upon an arm that at its front end is pivoted to thetruck and therefrom extended rearwardly to receive the traction-wheelaxles, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

' l. The combination, with a locomotive or street-car truck havingwheels to support the weight of the locomotive or streetcar upon atwo-rail track and operated to make a tractional engagement therewithfor propulsion, of a center rail, supplemental tractionwhee1s or driversoperated to engage with the opposite sides of said center rail, and armseach of which at their front ends are pivoted to the truck and therefromextended rearwardly to support the axles of the said supplementaldrivers or traction-wheels, substantially as and for the purposes setforth.

5. The combination, with a locomotive or street-car truck having wheelsto support the weight of the locomotive or street-car upon the rails ofa tworail track, of a center rail and traction-wheels or drivers makinga tangent contact with the opposite sides of said center rail, and eachof said drivers or traction-wheels mounted upon the rear end of an armwhich at its front end is pivoted to the truck and therefrom extended onan angle to receive the axles of the said drivers or traction-wheels,substantially in the manner as and for the purposes set forth.

6. The combination, with a lOCOlllOflW or street-car truck having wheelsto support the weight of the locoi'notive or street-car upon the railsof a two-rail track, of a center rail, arms that are each separatelypivoted to the truck at their front ends and therefrom rearwardlyprojected on an angle, and a traction-

